This invention relates to alcohols and more particularly to energetic poltro substituted diols.
Polynitro-hydroxy terminated diols are being used to prepare energetic binders for propellants and explosives. Lower molecular weight polynitro alcohols have been used as building blocks to prepare these diols. Because of the limitation on the choice of these building blocks, the high energy diols have been limited to those having gem-dinitro groups in the .beta. position to the hydroxy groups, EQU HOCH.sub.2 C(NO.sub.2).sub.2 C(NO.sub.2).sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH.
Unfortunately while these diols have excellent energy content, they are unstable in the presence of weak bases or nucleophiles (such as atmospheric moisture) or oxygen and nitrogen containing components of the energetic binder systems. They deformylate producing formaldehyde and labile dinitromethane derivates which contaminate and cause the degradation of the binder systems.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 6-453,675 entitled "3,3,3-trinitropropanol" and a method of preparation thereof, filed on Dec. 27, 1982 by Horst G. Adolph, discloses a nitro alcohol of the formula C(NO.sub.2).sub.3 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH which does not deformylate under basic conditions as do 2,2,2-trinitroethanol, C(NO.sub.2).sub.3 CH.sub.2 OH, and 2,2-dinitropropanol, CH.sub.3 (NO.sub.2).sub.2 CH.sub.2 OH. However, because it is a mono alcohol, 3,3,3-trinitropropanol can not be used to form energetic binder polymers.
It would be desirable, therefore, to produce energetic polynitro diols which would be stable under weak basic conditions. Moreover, this should be done with a minimum reduction in the energy content of the binder system. However, before this can be done, new intermediates must be provided for the preparation of the diols.